We are the other people
We are the other people
You're the other people too
Found a way to get to you
Frank Zappa's "Other People" from We're Only in it for the Money
I think a lot of the conflict in the world is due to our perceptions of people as "Other". Other nations, other religions, other races, other colors; we fear and suspect the unknown, the unfamiliar, the other. It is a tribal thing; unfamiliar refers to that outside of our family.
It seems natural to root for the people and things that we are most comfortable with; our side, our team, our country, people like us. And it is just as effortless to generalize, or even demonize the people who are different from us. Bigotry, discrimination, and distrust - these come to us easily. It is much harder to look for the similarities in other people; to seek understanding and acceptance.
But, as Frank Zappa reminds us, we are the other people too.
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